All of the casual conversation openings I'd been practicing in my head, as I trudged through the basic tasks in the lab, were instantly forgotten when I saw Cassie. She looked beautiful and for some reason, today of all days, after I'd been so careful, I let myself be honest.
"Beautiful," I murmured, not quietly enough that she wouldn't hear me now that I was so close.

Auteur: Melanie Cusick-Jones